Harry's Animalistic Family
by NitaIce
Summary: Harry left after fifth year for America and his mother's family. Once there, he finds the love and caring that he has been looking for. Warnings: Slash, sexual situations, and swearing.


+ Hey ya'll! I've had an inspiration of sorts. Amazing things happens when you read two books at the same time. So this is the result. I will be updating my other stories soon. Unbelievable Bloodlines will be updated all at once in a big mass update. No worries. +

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Summary: The story starts after Harry's fifth year. Voldemort is dead; Harry killed him when he possessed Harry. Sirius is still dead. Petunia sent him a package with signed guardianship papers. He decides to go live with his uncle in the States. Once there, he finally gets the family he always wanted.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or rights to said characters mentioned. I don't own any books, rights to said books, nor do I have stock in the publishing of said books. I did buy the books in the bookstore but that's not what I meant. I have ten dollars to my name. I'm not making any money off of this. No suing please.

Warning: swearing, sexual references, sexual encounters, slash. This means boy on boy action. If you don't like this, don't read.

"Blah" – speaking

Blah – thoughts/flashbacks

Blah – random things that Author throws in

Blah – Parseltongue

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Harry was becoming rather irritated. Actually, he had passed irritated and was well on his way to being ticked off. He had been growling under his breath for the last half hour because not only had the train arrive late, but he had been stranded at King's Cross. The Dursleys had sent him a letter telling him not to return to Private Drive. It was a nice little end of the year gift to him.

They had also sent a box filled with papers. The top most one was an incomplete transfer of guardianship. The only thing missing was Harry's and the new guardian's signatures. The next set was his birth, school, and medical records from when he was a child. His aunt had also sent his A level completion diploma. (A/N: I think that's what high school diplomas are called in England. If not, someone let me know, please?)

He had taken the classes during the summer to make sure that he was able of getting a job in the Muggle world if he wanted to. It was the one thing his aunt approved of, going so far as to make sure that he got the work and took the tests.

The next set was his mother's records. Apparently she had done the same thing as him and finished her muggle education. Her and dad's marriage and death records were there as well. Under those was a family tree that showed all of his family, from every side of his bloodline. As he looked it over, he decided to go see one of his other uncles. He had met the man a couple of times and was very fond of him.

During the time that he spent looking at the paper work, between bouts of depression over Sirius's death, Harry had decided that he wasn't going to tell anyone his plans for the summer. He was positive that nearly everyone would disapprove his want for privacy and his right to mourn without public interference. With that decided, he acted like everything was somewhat normal on the way to King's Cross.

After spending over two hours looking for a cab, Harry had finally given up and started looking for a spot where he could summon the Day Bus, the sister to the Knight Bus. Spotting an alley, he quickly checked that it was empty and that no one was in it. With the alley empty, he opened his trunk and pulled out a muggle backpack. In it were a couple changes of clothes, a baseball cap, some books, and the papers that his aunt gave him. He closed the trunk and pressed a specific spot on the lid. The trunk shrank down to the size of a match book.

The summer before his third year, he had gone to the trunk maker and had that feature added, along with the ability for it to grow back into its original size when the small lock was pressed. He also had the trunk maker enlarge the inside of trunk so he could fit a larger quantity of stuff in it. He picked the now miniature trunk, put it in the backpack and pulled out his wand to summon the bus.

As soon as he stepped on the bus, he was bombarded with excited witches and wizards, congratulating him defeating the Dark Lord. The ministry had finally admitted that he was telling the truth after the Department of Mysteries attack. The newspapers and the public were singing his praises now. All he really wanted to sleep for a week and be left alone to mourn Sirius, not deal with the fickle public.

Finally reaching the Leaky Cauldron, Harry quickly gathered his things and got off. Breathing a sigh of relief, he reached into his bag and pulled the baseball cap out of his bag. Placing it on his head, Harry shouldered the bag and walked through the front area to the padlock behind it. Tapping the bricks, the gateway opened and he quickly strode to Gringotts.

Entering the bank, he nodded to the guards. Blinking in surprise, they nodded back. Once inside, Harry headed to the first open teller and waited to be noticed. After twenty minutes, the goblin glanced up from the paper work in front of him.

"Can I help you?" the goblin sneered, secretly impressed by the young man in front of him. Most wizards would have interrupted him by now. Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I would like to speak with an account manager, if one is available, please," Harry said in a tense but polite voice. He had never felt at ease with the race that ran the bank. Harry often got the impression that the goblins only spoke to wizards because they didn't have much choice. The goblin, whose name tag said Ragon, raised an eyebrow. Politeness was very rare coming from a wizard.

"I'm afraid that all of our managers are busy at the moment. I can see if one can fit you in tomorrow," Ragon informed him. Harry bit his bottom lip. He didn't really want to wait until then to leave.

"If it's alright, I would like to wait here," Harry inquired gently. "If one of them gets an opening in their schedule, I would rather be here and get to see one, then not be here and miss the chance."

Ragon eyed him for a few moments, then nodded. He directed Harry over to a small waiting area. Settling into one of the chairs, Harry pulled out one of the few muggle novels he owned and began to read. Soon, Harry became absorbed in the intrigue of Moby Dick and didn't notice how much time had passed until Ragon cleared his throat to get Harry's attention.

Ragon was very impressed by the young human. He had been waiting for over two and half hours. Most would have left. Hell, most would have thrown a fit by now. When the child glance up at him, startled out of his reading, he inclined his head.

"One the managers had a cancellation. He will see you now," gesturing for Harry to follow, Ragon led the way back. Standing quickly, Harry walked behind him. The office that he was led to was large, with a purple and gold decor. There were several portraits on the walls of goblins making transactions and deals.

There was a large desk centered near the back of the room. It was wooden with clawed feet, and had craved runes along the sides. The top of the desk was covered with paper work. Seating behind it, in a large gold-inlay chair, was another goblin. Coming to a halt in front of the desk, Harry waited to be acknowledged.

Gazing around as he waited, he noted a small side door was slightly ajar. Carefully watching out of the corner of his eye, Harry observed a small figure shifting back and forth. As the figure shifted again, Harry was able to deduce, from the light falling on the figure, that it was a small goblin. From the style of clothing, the child was a young girl. She was probably waiting on her father. Sending a small smile towards her, Harry turned his attention back to the goblin behind the desk.

There was a name plate on the desk bearing the name of Grimwort. Said goblin was very imposing like the rest of his race. He was very sturdily built, and if Harry had to guess, he was very capable of fighting. At that moment, Grimwort looked up at him.

"How can I help you mister…" he let the sentence trail off invitingly. Harry, realizing that he left it on, quickly removed the ball cap.

"Potter, sir. Harry Potter. I'm here to see about my account. I will be leaving the country soon and wanted to make sure that no one would mess with it. I also would like a back statement from the time my parents died until now," Harry requested. Grimwort's eyebrows furrowed.

"You should have been receiving statements since you were eleven, Mr. Potter. Gringotts policy is that the last member of a family receives statements beginning the day they first enter the bank to make a withdrawal. If you haven't been receiving statements, then a serious breach of treaty has happened," Grimwort was very concerned with this matter. A breach of treaty was a serious offence and wasn't to be taken lightly.

"I never received anything. I never receive mail," Harry explained. "I've always have to send a letter first, then I can receive letters from that person." Grimwort hummed thoughtfully.

"It sounds like you have a mail ward on you, Mr. Potter. Which is illegal since you obviously didn't know about it." Grimwort wrote something down and placed it in a mail till. It disappeared. "I've sent a memo informing the head that someone has interfered with our mail. He will find out who did this and deal with it. For a small fee, we can remove it and any other spells or charms that may be on you."

Harry nodded and took a seat when Grimwort gestured that he do so. The goblin made some gestures and Harry felt magic wash over him. Soon after, the magic disappeared and the goblin indicated that he was done.

"The fee will be taken directly from your accounts. Now, what did you need to do with your accounts?"

Pulling out the paperwork from his bag and handing them over, Harry explained why he was leaving. Grimwort made sure that they were in order. At that moment some sheets of parchment appeared on the desk. Handing Harry the guardianship papers back, the goblin pulled the sheets over to him.

"These are the full inventory of your accounts since your parents' death," Grimwort said. "The main accounts haven't been touched with the exception of deposits from various stocks. All of the stocks that your parents, and now you, owned haven't been touched or updated." He stopped there as Harry was frowning.

"I have more then one account?" Harry asked confused. He wasn't aware that he had more than one account. Grimwort nodded firmly, finally understanding without Harry explaining that the polite boy didn't know anything about the family accounts.

"Yes. The Potter family is very old and prestigious," Grimwort explained. "It even holds the title of a duke. The Duke of Wolverstone to be precise. The family accumulated various, well yielding stocks over the years. The family members also would have high paying jobs and they were incapable of spending all of it. Some even were investors that spent most of their time investing the money and making a profit."

(A/N: I borrowed the title from a romance novel. I don't own any rights to it. Please no suing. )

"Oh," Harry said in a daze. It was kind of a lot to take in. He was a duke, how odd. "So basically, I'm very rich."

"Yes, Mr. Potter. You are very rich. Just from your father's family accounts, you're the second richest person in England and the third richest person in the world," Grimwort informed the wide eyed boy. "Your mother's money was transferred to the Potter Family accounts almost fifteen years ago. It was a considerable amount, so it only added to your wealth."

He moved onto his main concern. "You're trust fund shows the most activity since your parents death. There has been a monthly withdrawal of 50 galleons. That's about 2,500 pounds in muggle money. It's been deposited into an account under the name of Petunia Evens." Harry narrowed his eyes.

"If the money was to take care of me, I didn't see a cent. They never spent anymore then they had to on me. Please stop those payments." Grimwort inclined his head in agreement. After making a notation, he continued going through the account.

"After the first time you came in, there were withdrawals made by one Mrs. Molly Weasley. The first time was made during your fourth year and the second time was at the beginning of your fifth year." Harry nodded.

"I said that she could make those," Harry informed him. "I went to the Quidditch World Cup my fourth year and wasn't able to get my school supplies, so she got them for me. Fifth year I was under protection and couldn't get my supplies again."

"The only other noticeable thing with your trust is that you have been receiving deposits of 1000 galleons every week for the past month and a half. The payments are coming from a store called Weasley's Wizarding Weezes," Grimwort arched an eyebrow when Harry started laughing.

"I gave the Weasley twins money to start their joke shop. I guess they decided to make me a silent partner," he chuckled. He wasn't angry at them for that. He knew that the Weasley family hated charity. He just thought that the way that they paid him back was hilarious. Grimwort made another note, stacked the parchment together and put them off to the side. Then he folded his hands together.

"Now, there is something that needs to be addressed. Your godfather left a will in case of his death. He left orders that you were to have a private hearing. Since your godfather has indeed died, would you like to hear the will?" Grimwort inquired gently of the now silent and pale teen. Harry trembled slightly, took a breath, and nodded.

Grimwort sent for the will in question. While they waited, he studied the teen in front of him. The boy was small for his age, barely 5'1. He was very slim, almost to the point of being skeletal. What muscles he did have were very well developed. It gave him a whipcord tight frame. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a light green T-shirt. Both of which were very large on him.

The teen's emerald green eyes had a constant distant quality to them. Almost as if he was looking at something that no one else could see. They were also filled with an almost overwhelming sorrow. On the flip side of that, they sparkled with power. Everyone knew that the Boy-Who-Lived was powerful, but Grimwort had a suspicion that no one really knew how powerful the teen really was.

A knock on the door broke into his inspection. Bid enter, a young goblin came in carrying a clear globe. Recognizing the goblin, Harry was able to produce a small, but genuine, smile.

"Hello Griphook. How are you?" Harry inquired of the goblin that had taken him to his trust vault every year since he entered the Wizarding world. Both goblins gawked at him. That never happened. Wizards don't say hello anymore then they asked an 'inferior' how they are. Harry glanced between them uneasily, unsure what he had done to make them look at him like that. Griphook cleared his throat.

"I am well, thank you. My condolences about your godfather, Mr. Potter," he inclined his head. Harry gave another tense smile in gratitude. Handing the globe to Grimwort, Griphook bowed to his superior. Turning to go, he hesitated then gave another, less deep, bow to Harry. Then he left quickly.

Harry blinked rapidly. That was very odd. Goblins don't bow to wizards. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the globe that was now sitting on the desk. Grimwort touched it with two fingers. It glowed and above the orb was a miniature projection of Sirius. Harry gave a little dry sob before he bit his lip to keep them in.

"I, Sirius Black, being of sound mind, mostly, and body, again mostly, declare this to be my last will and testament. Merlin, I hope that I didn't die getting hit by a bus. That would suck. Alright, legal stuff over with let's get on with the good stuff.

Sirius made an interesting pose at this point. One hand held high above head, the index finger held up in a number one pose. The other arm was propped up on his hip. His feet were braced apart. His chest was puffed out and when he spoke, it was with an over exaggerated mouthing of the words.

To Remus Lupin, my good friend and brother, I leave you the number 12 Grimmauld Place and Kreacher. Do what you want with them. I also leave 30,000 Galleons. Buy a new wardrobe! Harry, make sure that he does!

To Tonks, my favorite cousin, I leave you the Black Villa in France. You'll like the place. I also reinstate you and your mother as members of the Black Family. And you get 30,000 Galleons as well.

To Molly and Arthur Weasley, I leave you 20,000 Galleons each. As a thank you for taking Harry for me. And no, you can not give it back.

To Ron, I leave you 2,000 Galleons for befriending and staying with a very lonely, green-eyed boy. Thank you.

To Hermione, I leave you 2,000 Galleons for keeping my Prongs Jr. in line and helping him with his homework. Thanks.

I want the two of you to invest some of that. I've left instructions that your bequests be placed in accounts under your own names. The goblins will have investment information for you that you can use. Investing it will make the amount grow. Be sure to keep an eye on how much you have. If you don't, you might spend more than you want.

To Gred and Feorge, the pranksters of the next generation, I leave you my journal. It has all of Padfoot's prank ideas and suggestions for improvements. I also leave you 10,000 Galleons to invest in your prank shop. Make a lot of laughs with it. Remember "Mischief

Managed."

To Narcissia Black-Malfoy, my somewhat misguided cousin, I leave you the Black Villa in Italy. I know that one was your favorite. I equally know that we never agreed about many things, but I hope that you're happy.

To Draco Malfoy, my youngest cousin, I leave you 20,000 Galleons as an inheritance from your mother's side of the family, with the condition that you must learn about the Muggle world from a reliable source. A muggleborn or half-blood that has lived in the Muggle world at least half of the time. I know that we've never met beyond a very brief time when you were a baby, however you are family and I expect you to act like it. I know that you understand what that means.

To Severus Snape, my favorite rival, I leave you my stocks in Potions Pazzal. There is also a letter for you. It doesn't have any charms, hexes, or curses on it. You can have the goblins check it on my tab. Please read it before you burn it, okay?

You all take care of yourselves, yeah? I don't want to see any of you until you're old and gray. Snape, that means you better live to be like 350. Clear on that? Good.

And last, but not least, to Harry. I leave you everything else. Title, estate, stocks, and fortune, which is a lot of money. Sorry, pup. You got the short straw. I'm afraid that you're stuck with the responsibility of being really rich. And I mean really, really rich. I left some paperwork for you that you might want to look at as well.

At this point, Sirius changed his demeanor. He stood straight, tall, and solemn, yet was very Sirius-like. He had his hands in his pockets and a goofy half smile on his face.

Harry, I love you and I know that I often acted like you were James. I want you to know that's not how I saw you. I was just trying to make you have more fun. You are so serious all of the time. I know that me acting like an idiot doesn't automatically make you have fun, but I had to try!

Now, if I know Petunia, you've been kicked out with incomplete transfer of guardianship papers. I know that your mom had other relatives who you can go to. It's all in the paperwork that I left you.

I don't know what the laws about under-age magic where they are living are like, so I'm solving a problem for you. When they sent me to Azkaban, they did so without a trial or conviction. That means that my rights as your magical guardian were never revoked, though I'm sure some people tried to make it so.

You see, without conviction no one can take the rights from a magical guardian. The rights are given to the guardian by the parents of the child magically. Without a real legal reason, like a piece of parchment saying that I was convicted, they can never be taken away. As such I can do nifty things, even if I am dead.

I instructed the goblins to quietly get you emancipated in the Wizarding World. Let me tell you right now, I don't know if they succeeded. But if they did, you'll be able to use magic all the time, and you won't get in trouble for it. Cool, huh?

You, my much loved and only godson, are not to blame yourself for my death. If I went down fighting and protecting you, then I went the way I wanted. If you were in trouble and I could help, then that's all that matters. I died happy, remember that. I love you. Have some fun! Bye, pup. Take care of yourself.

The globe went dark. Harry looked down at his clenched hands. Tears splashed down into his lap. His shoulders shaking, he sat there and cried silently. He cried not only in sorrow but in relief and love for one batty, goofy and hyper dog of a godfather. Sirius didn't blame him. He wasn't hated by his father-figure. It was like Sirius knew that he believed that and knew what to say. Harry was both happy and sad at that moment.

Grimwort waited for Mr. Potter to compose himself. The teen was very quiet in his sorrow. In most will readings, the recipients would be anywhere from hysterical to cold stone calm. However, this young man's silent sorrow was by far the most genuine form of grieving that he's ever seen. It's was also the most moving form he's seen in a long time. It wasn't often that a wizard could make a goblin feel anything but contempt, however Mr. Potter, it seemed, was a very different kind of wizard.

Harry cried for a full twenty minutes before the tears slowed, and eventually stopped. He took some deep breathes to control his breathing and wiped his eyes. Lifting eyes free of the overwhelming depression that clouded them before, Harry was able to meet Grimwort's gaze without shame. He would not be ashamed of his grief or of his tears.

Grimwort's eyes held no censor, only a very faint amount of respect. With a slight incline of his head, the goblin gathered a small stack of parchment. He handed it to Harry.

"This is the paperwork in question from Mr. Black. Make sure to read them carefully. Also the last portion of the will was for you only. No one else will hear it." Harry nodded and began reading the top most sheet. It was the document stating that Harry was Sirius's godson and legal heir. No surprise there, after hearing the will.

The next was very interesting. It was a signed document showing that Sirius had done a blood adoption shortly after he was born. His parents had both signed, showing that they agreed with the adoption. Looking at the date, Harry had to guess this was a preemptive measure in case Sirius died without fathering a child. Harry's full name was actually Harry James Sirius Potter-Black, the Duke of Wolverstone, and the Duke of Blackwood. He was a duke twice over. It also told him that he was the richest person in England and the richest in the world.

The third was telling him something that he already knew, so he skipped that one. The fourth sheet was actually from his father, informing him that he owned a couple of muggle companies, and from the returns that have been coming in, Harry would say that the companies were doing very well.

The fifth parchment was from his mother. It told him about his great-uncles and great-aunts in the States. Apparently his mother had wanted to know about them and looked them up. Most of them were married with kids. He did noticed that the uncle that he was going to go see was on the list as well and there was an address for him there as well.

"Do you know if this address is accurate?" Harry asked the waiting goblin, handing the parchment to him. Grimwort looked it over, and then touched the address. Harry felt a rush of magic flow from the goblin to the parchment. After a moment the power faded.

"It's accurate. The man still lives there," Grimwort nodded, handing the parchment back. Harry looked back down at it.

She had also written a letter that was addressed to Whom It May Concern: Aunt, Uncle, or Other, which was attached to the back of the parchment. Deciding not to intrude, Harry left it alone. The sixth, and final, parchment was the emancipation document. It appeared that the goblins were able to get him emancipated. All the document needed to be official was his signature. Asking for and getting a quill, he quickly signed. The parchment glowed and copied itself twice. One copy disappeared. The other two stayed where they were.

"The copy that disappeared went to the Ministry. It was placed in the file that you have there and the Trace that was on your wand was removed at the same time. This copy is for you to keep. This one will go in the Main Family vault," Grimwort explained. Harry added his copy to his stack of papers. Since he was finished, he looked back up at Grimwort. The goblin handed two small boxes across the deck. One was blue. One was red.

"These are the Head of House rings. For the Potter family and Black family. You will place the Potter ring on your left index finger and the Black ring on your right index finger," Grimwort explained. Harry opened the red box first. Inside was an elegant white gold ring with a deep red ruby. The ruby was engraved with a white gold etching of a wolf howling.

He slipped the ring on. It was too big for his finger. For a moment, everything was still. Then a rush of magic filled the room and surrounded Harry in a white light. He felt pressure, a probing pressure. It felt like it was testing him, though what it was testing for he didn't know. The power disappeared as quickly as it came. Harry looked down at the ring. It fit his finger perfectly now. Glancing up at Grimwort, he raised an eyebrow.

"The family ring tested you to make sure that you were worthy of being the head of house. It found you worthy, Mr. Potter," Grimwort answered, correctly reading the question in Harry's gaze. Harry then opened the blue box. The ring inside was made out of a dull yellow gold. The gem was a dull, black opal with a scary looking grim etched in gold on top. When he slipped the big ring on, Harry was more prepared for the rush of magic that surrounded him in a black aura.

This magic wasn't gentle at all. It slammed into him, looking for a weakness it could exploit. Harry put up with it for all of ten seconds. Harry gathered up some of his own magic and proceeded to inform the Black Family magic exactly who was the boss.

He slammed his magic right back at the magic surrounding him. It fought him, trying to overwhelm him. However, the one thing everyone that knew him agreed on, even Snape, was that Harry was very stubborn. He fought back and didn't back down. The magic fought hard, but eventually gave way. Harry kept his magic up in case it was a trick. The surrender wasn't a trick though. The magic retreated back a bit, gave an impression of bow, and dissipated.

Harry let his magic sink back down and looked at the now fitting ring. The gold gleamed like it was new and the opal shined. The grim had changed to look more like Padfoot in a playful mood. Its tongue was hanging out and the tail was mid-swing. In the back of Harry's mind, he felt a faint sense of respect. It seemed the Black Family magic approved of him.

Grimwort watched as the young man in front of him fought against the Black Family magic. It was awe inspiring. The teen's magic pushed and shoved against the black aura, not giving an inch. When the ring's magic gave way to the Head of the Black Family, Grimwort felt the small amount of respect that he held for the teen grow. This wizard was someone that he would be proud to call his friend should the need be there.

"Congratulations, Lord Potter-Black. Now, the rings are both charmed with anti-theft, self-cleaning, and should you misplace one of them, they will return to you within an hour. Is there anything else I can help you with today?" Grimwort inquired. Harry, realizing something, shrugged sheepishly.

"Could Gringotts possibly set me up with a passport, and plane ticket?" he asked. Grimwort grinned at the young man. The following hour was a mass of paperwork and making sure everything was in order. To make sure that he wasn't followed, he was going to take a muggle plane to New York. From there it would be up to Harry to find his uncle.

He also had his money bag filled and had some Galleons exchanged to muggle pounds and American dollars. He was given a muggle debit card that was connected to both his muggle account and his Wizarding one, so that he didn't have to rely on cash for larger purchases. Once everything was in order, Harry gathered up all his papers, his new passport, and plane ticket. Standing, Harry smile at Grimwort.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Grimwort," Harry said. "I hope that you always remain profitable. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"And you as well," the goblin returned, pleased. "Good luck in finding your uncle."

"Thank you." Harry gave the goblin a respectful bow before putting his cap back on and, giving a small wave to the young girl goblin, he left. Behind him was a surprised and deeply impressed goblin. Harry had made a positive impression on the goblins that day, as what happened to both Griphook and Grimwort spread through out the entire Goblin nation worldwide within the next few days. The American goblins were eager to see if the rumors about the young wizard were true, and would be ready for when Harry visited them.

Since there was a couple of hours before he had to be at the airport, Harry decided to look around Diagon Alley. Knowing that if his hat fell off he would be recognized instantly, he found an out of the way nook that hid him from view. Taking the cap and his glasses off, Harry took a deep breathe and closed his eyes.

He focused on the magic covering his skin. As he exhaled, he pulled the magic away and back into his core. Feeling his appearance change brought a smile to his lips. He would look like himself for the first time in years. He quickly put the cap and glasses in his bag. Still smiling as he walked out of the nook, Harry strode with the confidence that he wouldn't be recognized.

Instead of a 5'1, short black haired, green-eyed boy, he was a 5'1, long white haired, green-eyed boy. His hair was pure white and in a long braid that came down to his ass. His bangs were long as well, coming down to his collar bone with a two inch streak of black in it. They were swept off to one side, covering the tale-tell scar on his forehead.

The only telling sign that the teen was Harry was the emerald green eye that shown on the uncovered side of his face. He had never needed glasses but it suited his cover persona to have them. The changes made it so that someone would have to take a good long look at him to figure out that he was Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived.

Walking in broad daylight without being mobbed was a novel experience for him. It was as if he was a normal person. Not their savior. It was very librating. He strolled down the alley window shopping. He stopped in the apatheory to stock up his potions kit. He also stopped in the Owlery and stocked up on food and treats for Hedwig. As he wandered towards the entrance, Harry spotted a tattoo shop.

He walked in, hearing a jiggle ring out in the back of the store. He browsed for a little while, looking over tattoos and the earrings that were available as he waited for someone to come up front. Hearing footsteps, Harry turned.

The girl that stepped out of the back was easily 5'9. Her hair was dark brown with red highlights, and her eyes were light amber. The shape of her body was very muscular. Her shoulders looked like they belonged to an Olympic male swimmer; her legs were very similar. The only thing that let Harry know that she was even a girl, besides her scent, was the fact that she had some very decent sized breasts.

He took a deep breath, taking in her scent as he tried to figure out what she was. The scent was canine, though it was the breed he was trying to figure out. She smiled, seeing his issue.

"Wolf, pup. I'm a wolf," she offered in a soft rasped. Harry smiled in thanks. "What are you? Your scent is an odd mix." Harry ducked his head.

"I'm a wolfdog primarily," he said shyly. "I also have polar, grizzly, and lion in me. My godfather blood-adopted me shortly after I was born. It's a small amount but it did have an impact." He shook his hair to illustrate what he meant. She laughed. It wasn't a mocking 'You're about to be thrown out' laugh, but a genuine 'I'm amused' laugh.

"Yeah, I can see that," she grinned. "So what can I do for you?" Harry tilted his head slightly in thought.

"I was thinking about getting some piercings and a tattoo," he said, still thinking on what he wanted. "Piercings first since I have no idea what I want as a tattoo as of yet." The older girl nodded and gestured for him to follow her into the back. There were two chairs; one a stool, the other a barber chair.

"What kind of rings do you want?" she asked, getting her tools set up. "Do you want a stud, hoop, bar, or a gage? And where do you want them?" Harry thought about it. "I want my ears pierced with hoops. Three in my left ear and four in my right. I want one of my nipples pierced, also a hoop." The girl nodded, before getting the piercing gun.

Getting his ears didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. It helped that the tattooist did a couple of healing charms as well so that he could change them out in a week instead of waiting the usual six. His nipple did hurt quite a bit but, again, she used a healing charm that numbed the pain.

"So have you decided on the tat?" she inquired as she put the piercing gun away and pulled out the tattooing gun. Harry had decided but he needed to draw it for her. Asking for and receiving a piece of parchment and a quill, he quickly sketched out his shifted form with a moon rising behind the animal and a large lily in front if it. He colored it in with some color pencils that she handed him. He handed the drawing back to the girl. She smiled when she looked at it.

"This is beautiful," she informed him. "Where would you like it?" He pointed to his upper right arm, just below the shoulder. Nodding, she rolled his sleeve up. She picked up her wand and waved it over his arm, and then over the picture. The outline of the drawing appeared on his arm. Picking up the tattoo gun, she told him to breathe slowly. It would help. When she started following the outline with black ink, he understood what she meant.

It hurt, a lot. He quickly followed her advice and took several slow and deep breathes. It helped to make him relax. She began shading in where shadows and ridges would be. It was at that point that he noticed that she was muttering under her breath. Listening closely, he heard incantations for healing charms. He was grateful to the older girl at that point. He was sure that it would hurt a lot more if she wasn't doing that.

She colored the lily and moon with white ink. The stem was a dark green. The color of his shifted form was the similar to his hair; white with a gold streak starting at his nose, running over his head and down his spine to the tip of his tail. The tips of the gold were a silverish color. The lion and grizzly showed up in his shifted form more than they did his human. Once finished coloring the tattoo in, the She-wolf did one last healing charm and sat back to look it over. She nodded in satisfaction and cleaned up her tools.

"How much will this be?" Harry asked, admiring his upside-down view of the tattoo. "10 Galleons." Harry pulled out his money pouch and handed the coins over. He slid his sleeve down as he got out of the chair. He thanked the She-wolf and left. As he came out of the tattoo parlor, he spotted a clothing store that was advertising muggle clothing. Since he had already decided to get a new wardrobe, he headed inside. He was set upon as soon as he entered.

"How can I help you, sir?" asked an older woman, her name tag saying Vanessa. "I need to purchase a new wardrobe. I'm afraid that mine was lost on my way to my cousin's house and I had to borrow some of his son's clothes. As you can see, they don't really fit," Harry lied easily, holding his arms out to show his clothes to her. She clucked her tongue in distaste at his clothing and motioned him to follow her. They walked into a private parlor where a circular platform was sitting in the middle of the room.

He was told to step on the platform and strip down to his boxers so that she could get accurate measurements. He stripped down and stood with his arms held out to his sides as she circled him with a tape measurer and jotted down his measurements on a note-board. She began to ask him what kinds of fabric he preferred once she was finished with that. He was amazed at the amount of choices that he had. He had all the muggle fabrics available to him, but he also had dragon hide, spider silk, demon-spider silk, unicorn hide, the list was endless! And the colors choices were just as bad!

When he finally made his choices, Vanessa brought out a book filled with different styles. He spent a good ten minutes just flipping through it before he came upon two styles right next one another. One was an old fashion Japanese male kimono (A/N: think Inu-Yasha's outfit.). The other was a simple pants and shirt style that, as he read in the description next to it, allowed wide range of motion. He pointed to the both of them, and with a brief discussion on which fabrics went where, she left the room to go get the clothing.

Harry waited for a half-hour before she came back with several piles of clothes floating behind her. The next hour was spent trying on and adjusting pants, shirts, underwear, socks, and shoes to make sure that they all fit right. When it was finally time to purchase the outfits, Harry was exhausted. He pulled on one of his new cotton T-shirts and a pair of blue jeans to wear out. He was comfortable in his clothes for the first time in a very long time.

Vanessa boxed and bagged everything, and then shrunk it down for him so that he could place the bags in his backpack. She then produced a piece of parchment. "Place your hand on this. Your order will be billed directly from your account." He did as told, placing his right hand on the parchment. A moment passed then he felt a little nip against his palm.

Removing his hand quickly, he rubbed his palm as he watched as his trust vault's number appeared and the total of his purchases appeared below it. The writing then vanished.

Vanessa smiled at the white haired boy. "Thank you for shopping with us today, and I hope you have a pleasant summer." She showed him to the door and went off to help another customer. Harry shook his head as he exited the shop. Looking at his watch, he noted that he needed to head to the airport if he wanted to catch his plane on time. He left Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron rapidly.

He was able to hail a cab and was soon at the airport. Going through the check point was slightly embarrassing, do to the guards having to see his nipple ring. Once he was on the plane, he was able to relax. He had been set up with first-class seating and in a very comfortable seat. Buckled in, Harry waited for the place to take off. He fell asleep shortly after the stewardess checked on him, making sure that he was buckled tight and that he was warm enough. He awoke briefly when the plane took off, and when the stewardess draped a blanket on him, but otherwise he slept soundly.

Harry woke up as the plane was about to land. He felt the plane bump down to the landing strip and the plane slow. Listening to the stewardess welcome him to the United States, he gathered up his bag and waited patiently for her to say that they could disembark the plane. Once the go-a-head was given, Harry was up and out of the plane quicker then you can say "Oops."

He spared a moment to look up a hotel before he headed out to the front of the airport. Thankfully hailing a cab here was way easier then in England. After giving the address of the hotel to the driver, Harry relaxed in the back and watched as buildings went by. Surprisingly, it didn't take very long to get to the hotel. Only about twenty minutes. He had thought it would take longer considering everything he had heard about New York traffic. Maybe it was because of the time. It was only 4:30am.

Harry got out and paid the man, making sure to give him a good tip. He walked into the tall hotel, taking in the many scents of many breeds. Even at this time there were several people walking around the lobby. At the front desk, he asked for a room for a few days and handed his debit card over. As he waited for everything to be processed and charged to his card, he watched several wolves, lions, bears, and full-humans wander through the lobby. Some were talking to each other; others were clearly intent on getting somewhere.

One male lion caught his eye, since he was talking to a full-human that was taking notes. On one side of him was a She-Wolf that was clearly waiting for him to finish. She was talking to another She-Wolf. That one was just as clearly an Alpha. And there was another male lion next to her. But what confused Harry was that lions and wolves rarely got along. Unless they were forced to by business or by a mutual enemy, anyway.

He was distracted at that point by the receptionist telling him that he was good to go. He retrieved his debit card and his card key. Armed with the knowledge of what room he had, Harry strode confidently towards the elevators. He was in luck as an elevator just opened up and two more wolves walked out. Getting in it, he pressed the 23rd floor button.

Harry quickly stuck his hand out to stop the doors from closing when he heard someone call out "Hold the door!" The doors opened again to reveal the lions and wolves that he had been watching. Moving out of the way, Harry moved so that he was standing with his back in a corner and tried to pretend that he didn't exist. Sadly, his efforts didn't work.

"So what's a pup like you doin' here by yourself?" the words were drawled out with a southern accent. It was the Alpha She-Wolf. "Where are your parents? Or your Pack, for that matter?" Glancing up at the taller woman, Harry shrugged.

"My parents are dead and I don't really have a Pack, per se." He was honest with her since she didn't really have any connections to him. Thus had no way of tracking him. "My mum's pack lives here in the States, but I've never met them. My mum never did either. Her mother had moved to England to be with her mate and stayed there. My dad's Pack I have met, but they don't really have anyone that can take care of me so I'm going to see if my godfather's family can take me in."

The She-Wolf frowned, suddenly uneasy. The pup was young looking and didn't have the wild look of a kid that grew-up on the streets. That meant he had been in a home somewhere.

"Where did you stay if your parents are gone?" Harry gave a full-body shrug. "With my mum's sister. She and I don't really see eye to eye so she sent me off with signed guardianship papers."

"How old are you?" the younger of the males asked suddenly. Harry blinked, startled, before giving another shrug. "I'll be sixteen at the end of this month." Spotting the incredulous looks, he elaborated. "Malnutrition stunts growth, you know. I'm hoping that I'll have one last growth spurt some time soon."

When both females and both males growled in anger, Harry plastered himself as close to the wall as possible. He didn't really trust adults as it was, so having four larger and stronger ones in a confined space with him didn't really make him feel safe. Thankfully, the elevator opened on his floor before they could say or do anything.

Harry was quick to slip out the door and down the hall way. He continued past his door, going to one that was a few doors down when the elevator doors didn't close right away. He put his card in the slot and pretended that it worked. Just as the real owner opened the door, the elevator doors slid closed.

"What are you doing?" the wolf male demanded irritably. Harry smiled in return.

"Sorry, I was pretending that your room was mine," Harry explained. "There were some very creepy adults in the elevator with me when I got off and the elevator door didn't close right away. I kept walking past my door and used your room as mine. I put my card key in the slot and pretended that it worked. The elevator doors didn't close until you opened the door. I don't think that they saw you so they think that this is my room." The wolf's angry expression cleared as Harry told him what had happened. He nodded as Harry finished speaking.

"Good thinking kid. As luck would have it, I just rented this room today so even if they check at the front desk, they'll still think that this room is yours," the wolf said with some amusement. "Some adults are just sick in the head. You did right by protecting yourself." Harry nodded and wished him a pleasant evening, before heading to his real room. He didn't have to go past his room this time as the wolf closed his door right away.

Opening the door and going inside, Harry paused and pulled out his wand. With a small concealed flick, he removed his scent from the hall way. He didn't want them coming back and finding out that the room wasn't his before they even get to the other door since the scent trail would be thicker leading to his room. He closed the door and took stock of the room.

In the center of the room was a huge, comfortable looking bed with end tables on either side. Off to the left side of the bed was a doorway, which Harry rightly assumed was the bathroom. To the right was a small kitchen area. In front of the bed was a low dresser with a large TV on it.

Moving to the bed, Harry opened his backpack and pulled out the shrunken bags of clothes and his trunk. Placing the trunk on the floor, he pressed the small lock and it grew back to its original size. He opened it and removed all of Dudley's old clothes, leaving them in a pile to be thrown away. He began to resize the bags and put his new clothes in the trunk.

Harry paused after putting three shirts inside it. He didn't really like how unorganized the inside of his trunk was. He decided that it was time to get rid of the stuff that he didn't need, like Lockhart's books. He pulled the shirts back out and threw them onto the bed.

He immediately began pulling things out of the trunk. Last year's books were set aside. As was the previous years, with the exception of Lockhart's. Those he threw on the pile of Dudley's clothes. Old scraps of parchment joined them. Broken quills, empty ink pots, and old assignments soon followed.

Soon the entire trunk was empty. He was removing some small pieces of a broken quill when he saw the broken pieces of the mirror that Sirius gave him. He bit his lip, feeling sorrow well up within him. Closing his eyes, he released a breath to calm himself. He opened his eyes and moved his hands to hover over the broken pieces.

He pulled his magic up to pool in the area just under his hands. Using his will, he shaped the magic to do what he wanted it to do. He felt the magic slide from him and into the shards. As he watched, the mirror became whole once more. He pulled his magic back once the mirror was in one piece. Picking it up, he smiled sadly at his reflection. Sighing softly, he set it aside and proceeded to cast a cleaning spell at the bottom of the trunk.

He quickly put all the things that he was keeping back in the trunk, including his new clothes. He then banished the pile of clothes and books to the hotel garbage. Having finished that, he grabbed a pair of pajama pants and headed to the shower. After cleaning out the trunk, he felt filthy. A quick shower, in the rather luxurious bathroom, later and Harry was drying his hair when the he heard a knock on the door.

Looking through the peek hole had him swearing up a storm in his mind. He didn't dare say them out loud as both the Alpha She-Wolf and the younger male lion were standing right outside the door. Thinking quickly, Harry changed his appearance to look like an older, gold version of his father. His trunk was quickly shrunk and put aside in his bag. The bag was put in the bathroom. He waved his wand, removing his scent from the rooms. His real scent was masked to smell like a lion and allowed to permeate through the room.

They knocked again, a little louder this time. Harry took a deep breath and slowly released it. Calm once more, he opened the door. He was glad that he made all of the changes when they looked disappointed at the sight of him. He raised an eyebrow.

"May I help ye?" he changed his accent to a Scottish drawl to further hide his identity. The lion smile politely and shook his head. "I'm sorry. We have the wrong room. Sorry to bother you." Harry inclined his head and closed the door. He waited until he heard them move further down the hall before he released the breathe he was holding and moving away from the door.

That was close. He would have to be more careful. He would leave the scent as it was and stay in for right now. He wasn't hungry anyway, so it wasn't much of a chore for him to skip breakfast and lay down for a nap instead. He dropped the glamore and laid down. The bed was as comfortable as it looked. With a contented sigh, he fell asleep.

!

+So there we are. All done, what you think? In case you didn't figure it out, Harry and all the people/animals are shifters. They can change into an animal at will. Not dissimilar to an Animagus, except they are born with the ability to change and they have all the instincts of their particular animal. It was something that was passed down from Druid ancestors. +

NitaIce


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